Typewriting machine



Nov. 19, 1946. F. c. wENDT I TYPEWRITING MAcHNE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 `Filed. Jan. 25, 1945 7% ORNEYS 2 sheets-sheet 2 mw -t L Y mm mmm" -wur A Tron NEYs' Y INVENTOR BY E' C. UenCZ armn r /a A Nov. 19, 1946. F. c. WENDT TYPEWRVITINC MACHINE Filed Jan. 25, 1945 Patented Nov. 19, 1946 UNITED STATE TYPEWRITING MACHINE Frederick C. `Wendt, Copiague, N. Y., assignor to Royal Typewriter Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 25, 1945, Serial No. 574,469

2 Claims.

This invention relates to typewriting machines and more particularly to equipment for mounting and feeding thin ribbons, such as carbon paper strips, used for example in manifolding operations It has been common, in known constructions of this class, to mount rolls of such ribbon on spindles, axles or the like and to provide some sort of special device for resisting rotation of the axle or the roll core orjournal for preventing `overthrowing of the rolls and consequent feeding off of surplus ribbon.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple and efficient ribbon roll mounting which dispenses with the necessity of using such special retarding devices but which nevertheless prevents inertia overthrowing of the ribbon rolls.

Another object of the invention is to provide a roll mounting of the character referred to in which inertia overthrowing is preventedby friction of an exterior surface of the roll, preferably its peripheral surface, resting directly on a smooth, unbroken part of the roll mounting.

Another object of the invention is to provide a roll mounting of the kind referred to which is so constructed as to permit any one of a plurality of ribbon rolls to be removed without disturbing the other rolls.

Another object of the invention is to provide a typewriter ribbon roll mounting adapted to support and prevent inertia overthrowing of ribbon rolls not wound upon cores as well as the more usual core-wound rolls.

Another object of the invention is to provide a. ribbon roll mounting of the character referred to in which the retarding or overthrow preventing action decreases as the mass of the roll decreases so that the retarding action will not be unnecessarily `great at any time although the inertia, of the roll decreases as its diameter and weight are diminished by unwinding of ribbon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a roll mounting of the kind referred to in which a pan or the like for supporting a roll is provided with vertical walls on opposite sides of .and immediately adjacent the rol1 for maintaining the roll properly positioned Within the pan. i

A further object of the invention is to provide a, ribbon roll mounting as referred to above equipped with a top or cover which is so shaped and mounted that when moved to open position it will remain situated close to the pan, resulting in desirable compactness of the whole roll mounting structure.

Other objectsV will become apparent from a 2 reading of the following detailed description, th appended claims, and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top View of a typewriter equipped With roll mounting apparatus embodying the invention in a preferred form;

Figure 2 is an enlarged scale rear view of the construction .shown` in Figure 1, some partsbeing shown in elevationand others in verticalsecn.-

tion.; .Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 3,-,.-3 of Figure 2; i Q

Figure 4 is a vertical `section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary top plan view oia modified form of latch member and ribbon guide and cooperating parts; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of the latch member and ribbon guide shown .in Figure 5 as viewed when looking in the direction of the arrow a in Figure 5, ribbons being shown in section. f Reference is made to the application of John J. Kittel, Serial No.`589,406, led April 20, 1945, in whichV is disclosed a typewriter ribbon roll mounting having some characteristics in common with the .subject matter disclosed in the-present application.

`The invention may be embodied in various kinds oimaniiolding machines or typewriters constructed or equipped for performing `manifoldingoperations or other operations in which it is necessary .to feed a ribbon from a roll carried on the machine. Inasmuch as the invention resides inthe novel ribbon roll Supporting equipment, and in the combination of such equipment with other parts which themselves may be of a conventional nature, the drawings show the known or conventional structure only partially.

Included in the illustrated known construction is a typewriter main frame A on which a carriage generally designated B is mounted for letter spacingand return travel. The carriageB comprises spaced end plates, one of which is shown at I, connected by carriage frame members, one of which -is shown at 2. ,A platen 3 is mounted on Ithe carriage to be disposed behind the work sheets and carbon strips or ribbons.

Ribbon mounting means R constructed inaccordance with the invention is mounted onthe rear of the frame A by brackets 4. Strips of ribbon R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, Ra extending from the ribbon mounting means R are guided and fed along the Writing line by `suitable mechanism, such `for example as the ribbon guiding yfeeding mechanism.

3 and feeding mechanism disclosed in the patent to Myers and Handley 1,890,547. As shown in Figure 1 a bracket 5 mounted on the end plate I provides a mounting for a Vplurality of guide fingers 6, 1, 8, 9, I and I I around which the ribbons RL--R8 are trained respectively as shown in Figure 1 and from .which theribbonsextend to a front guide roller I2 also journalled on the bracket 5. A11 of the ribbons extend from the guide roller I2 in front of the platen 3 along. the writing line thereof for being interleaved with work sheets (not shown) in a known manner. L

.the supporting pan into a plurality of compartments for receiving the rolls rl-r respectively.

" The ribbon rolls are supported on the pans curv- Mechanisrn for feeding the ribbons along the platen writing line includes'a hand lever 'I3 pivoted as at I4 on the bracket 5. Rockable withv thelever I3 is a cam I5 adapted to cooperate with suitable mechanism, for example mechanism as shown in the aforesaid Myers and Handley Patent 1,890,547, for pulling the ribbons along the platen .writing line towards the operators right, that i'sto the left as viewed in Figure 1. i The ribbons may have additional tension imposed Kon them during operation of the lever I3 by mechanism similar to that shownv in the Degener Paten t `1,890,563. A pack of leaf springs I6 is mounted onthe bracket and each ribbon is extended between two adjacent springs of the pack. When thellever I3 is rocked counter-clockwise, as viewed inFigure l; the cam I5 actuates a follower vroller vI1 to rock a lever I8 pivoted as at I5 on the braeket 5. This pulls on a link 25 and spring 2I to rocka lever 22 pivoted on a Xed ear 23. A cam 24ifast with" the lever 22 is thereby rocked against La spring arm 25 mounted as at 26 on the Abracket 5,.thereby pushing the free end of the arm 25 against and compressing the pack of 4springs I5 and imposing a frictional drag on the ribbons. The drag imposed on the rubbons may be varied by adjusting a screw 21 threaded in a postv 28'carried by the bracket 5 and bearing against the pack I5.y

In operation,when the end of a typed line is reached the lever, I3 is operated to line-space the work sheets and feed the ribbons R1-R8. When a stop 29 on the lever I3 3U on the bracket 5 the rocking of,V the lever is stopped and further pressure on the lever moves the carriage B in the return direction, to the left asviewed in Figures 1 and 2.A rIfhe ribbons Rl-R8 will'then be slackened and'will assume the positions indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2. When the next line is typedthe slack will be taken up, and Asubsequentoperationi of the feed lever I3Will draw more ribbon from the ribbon mounting means R. Y

Y Inl accordance with the invention a roll of ribbon is vsupported by the means R in aV novel andA very simple manner such that inertia overthrowing of the roll is checked so as to prevent unwinding of ribbon in excess ofthat actually fed by the ribbon feeding equipment, thereby eliminating danger of entangling of unnecessarily long stretches of unsupported ribbon. The: ribbon roll is not journalled to rotate about a fixed central axle in the usual way, but is rested bodily on a supportfin the nature of laV pan, the friction between the pan and an exterior surface of the roll,

preferably its peripheral surface, preventing un- `winding rotation of the roll except when the ribbon is actually pulled, as by operation of the "In 'the illustrative embodiment of the invention the ribbon mounting means R has capacity `fo'rieight rolls rl-r Eli-R8 respectively extend, and is -fo'rmed in two engages a stop portion from which the ribbons Flanges 44 at the sides of "the rolls 11-1'6 V53. Flanges vI52'onv thetop' ingly dished bottoinwith their axes horizontal and withltheir lower periphera] portions resting directly on the pan bottom which provides the sole support for the rolls. Ribbons Rl-R` are led from therolls rl-rs respectively over the lip 31 to the guide rollers 6-I I as shown in Figure 1. The vertical pan side walls and the Vertical partition wallsv38 are located immediately adjacent the rolls r1-8 and maintaingthe rolls properly positioned and out of contact with each other,

thus 1;.-reve11tingv rubbing of the rolls againsteach other.

A cover 39 for the supporting pan 35 comprises a curved part 45 concentric with the semi-.circular pan; a fiat part 4I adapted to extend over the lip 31, and side wallsr42 pivotedas at 43 onv the pan 35, substantially atv the axis of the pan semi-circle. Y the top fiat partg4I' engage the lip 31 to hold the flat Dart up enoughgto provide a slit 45 between the lip31 andthe jat part 4I. The ribbons R1-R6 through the slit position. g

When the cover is swung to open position Vthe curved part will swing under the pan bottom so as to occupy a minimum space.

`A fastener 46 for holdingthe cover 39 inV closed position includes an ear 241 Vpivoted as at 48 on the cover 39, a latch part 49 adaptedfto extend under the pan lip 31, and a U-shaped ribbon guide part 5I) which normally guides the ribbons RI-R8 45 when the cover 39 is in closed to extend adjacentv and preferably above thepoint of egressof the ribbons R1 and R2` from the support section 37|. Preferably the fastener 46 is provided v'vithaflnger piece 5IV which mayextend from the upper leg of the U'sha'ped`guide part 5I). K In operation when the feeding equipment pulls "on lthe ribbons Rl--R6 to draw fresh ribbon from the latter will roll upwardly a little on'th'e curvingly dished pan bottom and will slip a little so as to allow ribbon to be drawn off. The friction-between the roll'peripheries and the pan Vbottom will prevent inertia' overthrowing of the rolls and no surplus ribbon will be'unwound. Thus the ribbonsy Rl-RG' extendingfrom the mounting section 3| will not build up to such lengths as could result in tangling and breakage. When the pull on the ribbons isslackened by movement of the carriage B in the return direction the rolls rl-er will roll back'down `the inclined vorcurved part 'of the pan bottom 35 to their normal positions shown in FigureV 2. The roll supportfsection 32 is carried yby a hanger '52 secured to one of the brackets 4 previously referredto. It includes a semicircular pan-like bottom part 55 witn anupstandingextension 54 terminating in ahorizontal -lip 55. .fa partition wall 56 ldividesthepan 53 intdtwo chambers which receive the rolls f77-T8 respectively. A` topA 51 comprising a curved 'part 55 concentric with "the semi-circular pan and lflat part 5,9 has sides 55 kpivoted as at Sion thepan 51 engage the lip 55 can be fed `freely n to limit closing of the top 51 to a position in which a slit 33 is left for permitting free passage of the ribbons RIT-R8.

The top 51 is equipped with a fastener 64 pivoted as at 65 and having a nger piece 65 and a latch part 61 adapted to extend under the lip 55.

The rolls T7 and f8 are supported in the pan bottom 53 with their bottom peripheral portions resting directly on the pan bottom which provides the sole vertical support for the rolls. The action of the rolls 'rl-T8 in permitting feeding of ribbon and preventing inertia overthrowing is like the action of the rolls r1-r6 previously described.

When it is desired to insert rolls in or remove them -from the support sections 3i-32, the tops 39 and 51 are turned about their pivots i3 and El to uncover the pans 35 and 53. The ribbons T7 and rs pass over the top or cover 39 and through the guide part 59 on the fastener 45. When the fastener 46 is swung to releasing position, the ribbons rl-r extending through the guide part 50 are displaced laterally to one side of the pan 35 so as not to interfere with removal of a roll from the pan 35. Thus, in one operation, the fastener 46 is released preparatory to o-pening the cover 39 and the ribbons r" and 1B are moved substantially clear of the pan 35 preparatory to inserting a new roll or rolls in the pan 35.

Inasmuch as no axle or pintle extends centrally through the rolls 1'1--r8, any of the rolls may be removed at any time without disturbing the other rolls. The diminishing weight of each roll resulting from unwinding of ribbon causes the frictional drag or resistance to slipping on the supporting pan to decrease in proportion to the decrease in the tendency for the roll to overthrow. Thus unnecessarily great drag on the ribbons is prevented and danger of breaking is minimized.

In the construction shown in Figures 5 and 6 the top 39 is adapted to be held in pan-closing position by a modified form of combined latch and ribbon guide member generally designated 68. The member 68 includes an ear 69 pivoted as at 10 to the top 39 and part 1l bent down at a right angle to the ear 69 and being formed with a finger piece 12. A latch part 13 is adapted to project under the lip 31 for holdingthe top or cover 39 in its closed position and a U-shaped guide part 14 is adapted to overlie the slit 45 for guiding the ribbons RI and R8. When the member 68 is swung to the position shown in dotted 6 lines in Figure 5 the cover or top 39 will be released and the ribbons Rrl and Rs will be displaced substantially from above the pan 35.

It will be observed that the pan bottoms 35 and 53 are both smooth, unbroken and free from joints in their lower portions on which the ribbon rolls are supported. Consequently the friction between the rolls and the pans will be substantially constant over all of the roll supporting surface portions, which assures smooth, steady slippage between the rolls and the pans.

The apparatus disclosed embodies the invention in a preferred form but it will be understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the invention as dened in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a typewriting or like machine, a platen; and means for mounting two ribbon rolls from which two ribbons respectively extend for being guided and fed along the printing line of said platen, said mounting means including two sections arranged in tandem so that the ribbon from one section extends past the other section, a cover mounted on said other section to move to open position to enable insertion and removal of a ribbon roll and to closed position, and a guide on said cover adjacent the point 0f egress of ribbon from said other section and through which ribbon from said one section is trained for being maintained in predetermined relationship to the ribbon extending from said other section.

2. In a typewriting or like machine, a platen; and means for mounting two ribbon :rolls from which two ribbons respectively extend for being guided and fed along the printing line of said platen, said lmounting means including two sections arranged in tandem so that the ribbon from one section extends past the other section, a cover mounted on said other section to move to open position to enable insertion and removal of a ribbon roll and to closed position, a fastener for securing said cover in closed position, and a guide part on said fastener through which ribbon from said one section is trained, said fastener being movable to a fastening position in which said guide part constrains the ribbon from said one section to extend over said cover and to a released position in which said guide part deects said ribbon towards one side of said cover to provide easy access to said other section whenV said cover is moved to said open position.

FREDERICK C. WENDT. 

